Study: Frederick County short on meeting ADA rules

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A study has found about 97 percent of Frederick County’s curb ramps and 13 percent of its sidewalk miles fail to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The Frederick News-Post (http://bit.ly/1mWocQ4 ) reports that the evaluation by the county looked at roughly 154 miles of sidewalk and 2,296 curb ramps.

Preliminary estimates found that addressing the compliance issues could take 10 years and cost more than $10 million.

Earlier this year, the Maryland State Highway Administration warned Frederick County that it must improve sidewalk access for people with disabilities or risk losing federal roads funding.

David Olney, project manager in the county’s office of transportation engineering, says prodding from the state and complaints from an Urbana resident, prompted the county to take stock of its sidewalks.